An Evaluation Of Incorporating The 21st Century Skills In .

have used 21st century skills to evaluate their courses and textbooks. This study looks at theextent to the EFL Palestine textbook (English for Palestine, 12th Grade) incorporate thecompetencies and meet the 21st century skills. Most educational institutions are moving toward21st century skills, and this necessitates such evaluation. Evaluation assists decision makers tomake appropriate decisions. Therefore, practical steps should be taken to ensure progress in theeducational process. This can be achieved by tremendous efforts and keen preparation andevaluation in the educational process to create constructive change. According to Cator, (2010)in order to create this transformation and to meet the 21st century skills, educators need to createlearning tasks that are engaging, motivating, enjoyable and meaningful.There are a number of the context-based dimensions that appear important to shed light on in atry to understand the nature of EFL textbooks in Palestine. These include the nature of teachingmaterials like textbooks, the EFL teaching philosophy, and a visualization of the 21st-centuryneeds.1.1.1 The Nature of TextbooksTextbooks in a learning environment like Palestine constitute the only method of teachingand learning in schools, especially for senior-level students. In this sense, learning materials arecrucial within a classroom setting throughout the scholastic education. Most ELT researchers andeducationalists believe that textbooks are the main source used for the teaching process (Byrd,2001). Besides, it seems that textbooks define, determine and direct the structure of theclassroom as well as the flow of delivery. In this regard, teachers are well-aware of the content ofthe class and what is expected to be presented and taught, which places textbooks in the centre ofthe pedagogical experience (Brown, 2000). According to (J.C. Richards, 2001). teachingmaterials are also used as a pre-learning activity as they can be flexible in terms of syllabi for theteaching and learning process. From the students’ perspective, textbooks provide an ideal sourceof information to complement what they learned from teachers during class (J.C. Richards,2

2001). Therefore, textbooks play a major role in the learning process of schools, equallybenefiting students and teachers.Regarding the functionality of teaching materials in ELT, mainly textbooks, Richard(2001) and other researches state that there are two main purposes. On the one hand, textbooksare designed to provide useful materials for both teachers and learners alike, so teachers utilisetextbooks to assist them to achieve the intended learning outcomes (ILOs). On the other hand,textbooks response to the challenges of the curriculum system. For instance, the release of a newtextbook is accompanied by several complementary materials by independent publishers toelaborate on the textbook content. ELT textbooks designers state that in the absence oftechnological development, textbooks would have been the only learning resource used inlanguage learning. This belief arises from the fact that the textbooks provide sufficient activitiesthat can be integrated into the learning and teaching processes (Peetsma, and Geijsel, 2011).1.1.2 EFL Teaching PhilosophyIt is clear that EFL teachers' background and pedagogical roles, as well as the assessmentcriteria adopted in the Palestinian context, are determinant factors in understanding the nature ofEFL teaching in Palestine. The majority of EFL teachers in the Palestinian public schools arenon-native Palestinian speakers of English who were not trained in special academic institutionsthat provide them with pedagogical training in teaching as a career. Instead, Local universitiesare the main destination for EFL teachers. These universities pay little attention to the Englishlanguage learning-teaching process in classroom practice, and more attention is given to contentor subject matter. Revising the nature and structure of the EFL graduate degrees offered by thelocal universities can reveal that the EFL programs pay little attention to the contemporaryupdates like the 21st century competencies and ways for incorporating these into the nationalcurriculum.3

Based on the above, when it comes to the teachers’ duties and responsibilities, there seems to bea sort of mismatch between what these teachers have to meet in their teaching practice and whatthey studied in their previous education. According to my humble experience in teaching EFL inPalestinian public schools which lasted for around ten years, EFL teachers have to: Promoting learning situations Motivating the learners Teaching English in relatively large class size (around 45 learners per class) Keeping good classroom management Preparing assignments and correct examsThese roles centre mainly on the fact that Palestinian teachers are most likely to adopt traditionalways of teaching where they come in the centre, and their learners are passive recipients of theknowledge. Traditional method of teaching is when a teacher directs students to learn throughmemorization and recitation techniques thereby not developing their critical thinking problemsolving and decision-making skills (Sunal et al 1994). This leads to highlight the assessmentcriteria adopted in the Palestinian schools. That is, testing is the main criterion of assessment.Teachers have to cover the textbooks required units per semester, and they assess the progress oftheir learners via different sets of exams. As a result, it is likely to have a negative examwashback effect. According to McKinley and Thompson (2018), negative washback happenswhen there may be a gap between the educational goals and the focus of assessment (McKinley& Thompson, 2018). In the Palestinian educational context where the assessment is mainlyexam-oriented, this effect may lead to the abandonment of instructional goals in favour of testpreparation. It seems vital to point out that textbooks might be one of the main factors that leadto negative washback effects. That is, the nature of the educational hierarchy that English forPalestine textbook can direct teachers to avoid the communicative nature of the language andfocus more on testing students’ epistemological dimensions. As a result, components that are4

related to the 21st century skills are very likely to be neglected due to the assessment criteria.1.1.3 Education and 21st Century Market NeedsIn today’s innovative era, socio-economic factors impact any educational context which tends torely heavily on flexibility and problem-solving abilities. The market now seeks individuals whocan think independently, yet work cooperatively, while the routine work is diminishing. This isnot only at the individual level but also at the level of context as a whole. There is also somediscussion about whether 21st century skills are new skills. Arguably, the skills themselves arenot new, but the importance that is attributed to them is relatively new, and because of thisemphasis, there is a demand for a new way of approaching them in a more structured andpurposeful way (Arther, 2014). The novelty lies in the application of the skills. Standardsolutions do not longer meet the requirements of the rapidly changing context of the 21st centurysociety. Complex questions and social issues demand creative and innovative solutions andinterdisciplinary collaboration, often on a global scale. This requires a different way of problemsolving than before. 21st century students must be able to think 'outside the box' to see newrelations and to determine which solution fits best in a specific context.Moreover, the inception of the new media platforms such as social media has reshapedthe way we exchange information and open the doors for a new generation of informationcommunication. With the increasing use of the Internet and technological advancements, theeducational process is moving towards being dependent on developments far beyond ourborders. According to Fisser (2016). schools and universities must incorporate this change intotheir curriculum so that students will be able to better contribute to the world.Therefore, the educational paradigm now demands to introduce and to integrate what isknown as 21st century skills or competencies. Updating the curriculum is seen as an initial step5

for preparing students for the ever-increasing demand of the 21st century and the skills today’smarket requires. Therefore, EFL textbooks need to prepare students for the relevant 21st centuryskills that will enable them to thrive in a global community of English language speakers.21st-century skills encompass a set of skills that scholars and employer believe to be central totoday’s job market. These skills consist of collaboration, creativity, critical thinking andcommunication.1.2 Statement of the ProblemPalestinian English textbooks are structured around learning objectives such as grammar,vocabulary, reading, writing and listening. While these skills provide students with thefundamental knowledge needed to acquire a new language, the need for 21st centurycompetencies is an essential aspect of the learning objectives. Through these skills, the learningoutcome of English for Palestine will be diverse as well as up to date with the current state ofglobalization.The current status of the textbook does not necessarily account for the flexibility andchangeability of the contemporary world. These skills have become an essential learning trendin the world. The advancement of technology and communication require curriculum designer toadopt 21st century skills into these textbooks so that learners will be equipped with the right toolsto tackle today’s challenges. The results of integrating these skills into textbooks will be evidentin learners’ ability in acquiring a new language as well as all aspects of their personal andprofessional lives.Therefore, this study focuses on investigating the 21st century skills in the 12th gradeEnglish textbooks and analyze the teaching and learning experience of these skills amongPalestinian EFL teachers. The study aims to evaluate these skills and the number of occurrencesof each one in a standard 12th grade English textbook. The main skills that will be addressed andanalysed here are critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, creativity6

and innovation, information and communication technology (ICT), media literacy initiative andself-direction, flexibility and adaptability. These skills are evaluated based on task components,namely goals, input, quotes and points to ponder. Another aim of the study will be to evaluate theteachers’ actions in incorporating these skill

have used 21st century skills to evaluate their courses and textbooks. This study looks at the extent to the EFL Palestine textbook (English for Palestine, 12th Grade) incorporate the competencies and meet the 21st century skills. Most educational institutions are moving toward 21st century s